Monday, October 10, 2022
10% Given; 100% Saved – The Vault
October 10, 2022/in Week 1, Bible Study
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I heard once that when you’re struggling to save money, you should consider paying yourself like you would a bill. So in addition to your usual budget, gas, electric, and water, add a new one—your savings account. Since becoming a Christian, I would add one more item to the budget too: tithing. Tithing is the Christian principle of giving 10% of your earnings to God.
The bottom line from the weekend message was: “My fulfilling future begins with being faithful today.” If we faithfully give to God, and put aside an emergency fund, some of our anxieties and stress can be eased.
Saving isn’t something that comes easily to me—not that I’m against it or intend to be careless with my money—I have just always been the type to say, “Bills are paid, food’s in my belly, clothes are on my back … what else is there to worry about?”
Then I see my tire going flat, get the slow leak plugged, and the tire guy says I need new tires by winter. Anxiety starts to kick in right there, and I start shoulding on myself: I shouldn’t have bought that video game. Why did I think I should buy four new shirts when I have a closet full already?
Matthew 6:21
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Our hearts give energy, time, and ultimately money to what we value most. If it’s the market, we will put focusing on our stocks ahead of things that are more worthy of our time. If we allow sports to consume our time and attention, then our heart and money will follow.
What does it look like when we make God the desire of our hearts?
We not only give him our time and devotion, but we also lovingly give him our “first fruits,” or tithe, as a thankful offering for all God has done for us. How do we determine the amount? I’m horrible at math, but this weekend, we were shown how to take our monthly income and move the decimal one spot to the left to calculate our monthly tithe amount. That seemed simple enough to me!
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Ben provided us with a simple but very powerful illustration to better understand this scripture using a balloon (our heart) and a stack of money connected by a string. Our hearts and our money are connected, but the question is, “Are we managing our money for God, or has our money mastered us?”
Faced with a choice like that—my heart says to choose God, 100%.
Questions:
Do you set aside a portion of your finances for God? Where do you store your treasures—on earthly things or Godly things?
Next Steps:
Consider joining a Financial Peace University Group to have a better understanding on where your money (and heart) are going. Try living below your means (income) to see if over-spending has been causing you too much worry.
Prayer:
God, show me the pathway to peace with my finances. Give me the wisdom to say “no” to unnecessary spending. Teach me to store my treasures with you rather than on earthly possessions. Help me to put away my resources so that I can live without worry if a financial crisis comes my way. I know you’ve got this. Allow my heart to do your will with my money rather than my own. Amen.